This seems to have fallen off the political agenda since earlier last year when Jack Straw
outlined details of a White Paper which proposes a House where some peers are elected and some still appointed, as they all are now.
The Lords could be renamed - with "the reformed chamber" an interim title.
The proposals at that stage allowed for 540 members of which half would be elected,the other half appointed
Elected the lords marked 96th anniversary of the Parliament Act 1911 with a statement that
Wouldn't it be outrageous if it took Parliament more than 100 years to fulfill its commitment to replace the House of Lords with something democratic?
And wanted to commit a deadline for the reforms to be in May 2011.
The FT today reports
Jack Straw, justice minister, is leading intensive cross-party talks on the future of the second chamber. The talks are now reaching consensus and a committee hopes to publish proposals before the summer recess.
If they are correct,the 540 members has now fallen to 400,to be called senators.
It is agreed that the "senate" will be either 80 or 100 per cent elected.Batches of three or four senators would each represent 80 to 100 "multi-member" constituencies. Existing life peers would be gradually replaced as the senators are elected in stages every four or five years.
So hang on until 2011
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